Pictures tell a thousand words
by Neelie2009
Summary: A serial killer is on the loose and the team bonds over the experience. Jenny and Jethro bond a little too closely and it threatens their investigation and someone's life. Circa Season 4.
1. Chapter 1: Drinks After Work

Chapter 1 –

Gibbs sat at his desk contemplating the last 48 hours. This case had gotten to all of them but after an emotional and disturbing two days, they finally had hard forensic evidence to convict Daniel Martinez for the murder of First Lieutenant Jane DeAngelis. Now it was in the hands of the FBI to hunt down Martinez and link him to the two previous civilian murders.

This case had captivated the national media. The perpetrator was targeting highly successful, devastating beautiful women and he would get amazing close to his victims without ever being seen. He captured intimate moments of their lives through the lens of his camera. After stalking them for weeks, he would kidnap his victim and leave behind a photo montage pasted to the wall of their homes. The pictures would capture the women's faces in moments of happiness, anger, passion, and sadness over the previous weeks. Some of the pictures were from inside the victim's own home, usually taken through their bedroom windows. The photos were beautiful and made you ill all at the same time. A day or two later, the body would turn up. Each time, he left little to no forensic evidence in his wake.

Gibbs had just told his team to wrap it up and head home. They had done all they could do within their two days and he was damn proud of them. Not that he would share that tidbit with them. Tony had seemed to be affected the most and worked extremely hard without his usual comedic relief. The further he delved into the personal lives of these amazing women the more shook up he seemed to get. Tony sensed Gibbs eyes on him and he looked over at Gibbs as he swung his bag over his shoulder. Gibbs slightly nodded, a small show of affection for a job well done.

The case was almost taken out of their hands by the FBI. Gibbs absently gazed at the catwalk in front of Director Shepard's door wondering if she was still pissed at him for his outburst following her press conference. She announced that NCIS latest case was linked to the "Georgetown Slayer" and that NCIS would be working "in tandem" with the FBI to find the killer. Gibbs knew that 'in tandem" with the FBI meant that the FBI would be running the show.

_24 hours ago - Jenny exited to podium and the cameras continued clicking in succession. The media couldn't get enough of this story and they hung on to the director's ever word and action. She was a commanding presence and the media loved it. As she made her way to her security detail, preparing to head back to the Navy yard, Gibbs made a bee-line for her and cut her off a few steps before she reached the sanctuary of her car. _

"_The FBI is not stealing this case, director" Gibbs shouted causing the lowered cameras of the media to immediately pop back up on their shoulders at the first sign of elevated voices. Jenny Shepard put on her professional mask, only her glare indicating her anger, as she stated in a normal, yet strong tone "Agent Gibbs, as I just mentioned not two minutes ago, NCIS will be working in tandem with the FBI on this case." _

"_That is bullshit Jen and you know it!" he countered, in a much louder tone than was necessary for the two feet that now separated them. _

_She was pissed. Not just about the commotion he was causing but because he was purposely undermining her by called her Jen "on the job" in front of half the agency and the FBI. She swung quickly to face him and took a step into his personal face. Within inches of his face, she stated with confidence and conviction "Agent Gibbs, not only will your team do whatever I or the FBI asks of you but you will do it in silence, or so help me god, I will have your badge"_

_This was the highest profile case since her promotion to director of NCIS and dammit, she was not going to let Gibbs' macho ego screw it up. She was fuming, she drove her point home by meeting his eyes and staring him down. Their piercing glares were being recorded by half of the DC media. Gibbs could hear the still cameras clicking rapidly._

_Gibbs looked into her fiery eyes and could tell she was pissed and meant business. He knew he was walking on thin ice. While he enjoyed the game of riling her up, this time it was really about the case. He wanted to nail this perp. Reluctantly, he switched tactics and tried to appeal to her softer side. In a much lower voice he said "I want this bastard, director. Who do you think has the best shot of nailing this guy? Us or the Feds" _

_Her body language told him all he needed to know, she took a step back and her eyes took on a much softer look. The "us" may have been overkill but he needed to remind her that she was an agent once too and she knew that Gibbs and his team could handle this. She bit her bottom lip as if contemplating her options. Finally, she leaned in closer to not be over heard "You've got 24 hours Jethro, make it count" and she ducked into her car. He closed the door for her as he turned towards the media circus. As he scanned the crowd to find his team something in his gut told him that something was amiss. He couldn't put his finger on what so he found his team and set them to work._

While Gibbs was thinking back to yesterday's events, Tony thoughts turned there as well. He felt guilty over the way he had been treating Ziva and McGee during the case, he had been snippy and not himself. Tony's role had been to dive into the life of First Lieutenant Jane DeAngelis and the deeper he dug, the more respect and admiration he had for her. She had been valedictorian of her high school, went ROTC to college, and risen through the ranks quickly. All the while, looking ridiculously hot and being a kind, well-liked person.

NCIS was called in when they found the photo montage of First Lieutenant and knew she was the latest kidnapped victim of the Georgetown slayer. Tony was mesmerized by the montage at it showed the lieutenant in various states of sad contemplation and reflection. Alone, holding a mug of tea in the morning, her eyes revealing signs of internal strife and unhappiness. Mixed in were photos of her laughing and smiling with members of her squadron. She seemed happiest when surrounded by her marine family.

Tony connected with her in many ways. He always felt happiest and content around his work family in ways he never experienced with his real family. That is why he spent so many years escaping to the movies. In that world, he could be happy in other people's families. This connection made him want to vomit when he thought of the crime scene where her body was found less than a day later.

Martinez had spent his time killing her. Slowly slashing her arms and legs, enough to bleed and be terribly painful, but not enough to kill her. After violating her sexually, he finished the job by placing his hands on her delicate throat and cutting off her air supply.

They had been on the kidnapping for 24 hours before the body showed up. Zia and McGee processed the scene while Gibbs kept Tony on the interview and personal life trail. Somehow Gibbs knew that Tony couldn't handle the crime scene. Gibbs may not offer a lot of words of comfort but he always looked out for his team.

As a peace offering to Ziva and McGee, Tony invited the two of them to a local pub to blow off some steam before heading home. They all assented quickly, it was a tough 48 hours.

"I am going to grab Abby, she needs a break too" McGee said as he headed towards the lab. Tony looked back over to Gibbs "hey, boss, why don't you join us?" Gibbs rarely joined his team in any afterhour's activities but he really wasn't ready to go home alone. Gibbs contemplated it for a moment and then figured, why the hell not. "Meet you there" he grumbled. Tony's lifted his eyebrows to Ziva in an "OMG" type expression as the two of them headed to the elevator.

Gibbs wanted to get a report from the director on the progress the FBI was making on the manhunt for Martinez. The only way the director could get the FBI to allow NCIS to head up the case on the first lieutenant was to promise full jurisdiction over bringing in the killer. The Feds were media whores and were forever trying to remain in the good graces on the public.

Something was still bugging Gibbs about this case. He was concerned about how Martinez got so close to an active marine without anyone noticing. He wanted to get the directors reaction to his concerns as well. At least, that was the excuse he gave himself as he climbed the steps, two at a time, to her office.

She had her head buried in a file with her reading glasses on and a glass of bourbon already in the works next to her. "Please, Jethro, by all means, walk right in unannounced" her voice dripping with sarcasm. She took off her glasses and looked up at him with a "what now?" expression.

"Hitting the sauce already" he said as he nodded to her glass. It had been a long 48 hours for all of them. She hadn't gone home either as they all been working non-stop, first on the kidnapping and then ultimately on the murder.

Jenny ignored his comment and got right down to business. It was her defense mechanism for protecting her emotions and everyone was in an emotional upheaval over this one. "I have sent Abby's final report to the FBI and it is solid. The knife that Ziva found at the apartment Martinez rented matched the incisions on the First Lieutenant and the blood under the grip will most likely match Martinez once the FBI tracks him down. You team came through."

"What's the update on the manhunt" he asked as he stood across from her desk.

"The FBI is "surprisingly" saying very little but they promised to keep me in the loop as soon as they had a substantial lead on his where abouts" she said.

"so, another words, they will call you after they have him behind bars" he said.

She smirked in agreement and took a sip of her bourbon. She noticed his eyes following her lips as she took a sip and the slope of her neck as she swallowed. "Help yourself, Jethro" she said, pretending to misinterpret his stare as a desire for some bourbon.

Jethro felt a little jealous of his former self who had "helped himself" to her neck but brought himself back down to reality. "I'm good…heading to Kilarnery's with the team" Gibbs said

Jenny was practically floored. She couldn't hide her expression of surprise.

"What!?" he countered. "The team could use a little morale lift" he finished.

The director got up from her chair and moved to the front of her desk and stood a few inches from Gibbs. She joking placed a hand on his chest near his heart saying "He really does have a heart!"

Jethro gave her a nasty look as he picked her hand up off his chest. He held it perhaps a fraction longer than necessary as he returned her hand to her side. He was about to walk away and had his body already pointed to the door when he said "you should come." He hadn't really thought through the statement and it escaped his lips before he even realized that he said it.

She paused and looked seriously for a moment. Gibbs went into full defense mode "It's not a date, Jenny, it is just a drink with your agents."

Jenny knew it was an innocent invitation but she couldn't help having a little fun with him. "That's a shame" she said with her half smile as she walked back around her desk. The director in her was creating some distance for her protection while the Jenny side of her said "after this case I think we both could use some therapeutic means to decompress."

She sat down at her desk, put her glasses back on, and pulled a file towards her. All the while knowing Gibbs was tracking her every move with his eyes. When she looked up and met his eyes again he hadn't moved from his spot. He pressed is lips together in a "man, you don't know what you are missing" type smile then said "you know where we 'll be" as he headed out the door. He couldn't hid the smile that spread across his face as he thought of just how many things they had done to each other in the past as a means of therapeutic decompression. It wasn't till he got to his car that he realized he forgot to discuss his bad feeling about the case with her.


	2. Chapter 2: Fuzzy

Jenny had been sitting at her desk for about an hour after the little "conversation" with Jethro. She had received no calls from the FBI and with little left to be done regarding the role of NCIS in the Georgetown slayer, she was finding it hard to not think about Jethro's invitation.

Sleep exhaustion, lack of food, and two bourbons already in her system, she wasn't really in the best place to be making decisions that involve more alcohol and a man you previously had the best sex of your life with. When she decided to call it a night and asked her security detail to bring the call around, she planned on going straight home. However, when she climbed into the back seat of the car, the words "Kilarney's on D street" escaped her lips. As the car took off she told herself she was doing it to show support for Gibb's team.

Meanwhile at the bar, Tony had just defeated Gibb's in yet another game of pool while Abby, Ziva, and McGee looked on. Gibbs knew Tony was showing off for Ziva but he really didn't care, he was glad that Tony was starting to revert back to his old self. Gibbs made his way back to the table with Tony in tow. Three bourbons into the evening and they finally starting to take the edge off.

As he made his way to the high top table he was practically floored when he saw Jenny walk into the bar. She was still in her black pants, black heels, and teal sweater and he was amazed at how she looked equally at home whether running a major federal agency or strutting into a seedy bar. He was not in the least surprised when every man, and some of the women for that matter, followed her path from the door to the bar. As if marking his territory, Gibbs changed directions and walked towards the bar to meet her.

He walked up behind her saying "your late, this rounds on you". She smiled and turned at the sound of his voice, she grabbed Jethro's glass and helped herself to the warm liquid. "bourbons all around?" she asked.

"nay, just us grown-ups" then he nodded his head in direction of the team, "beers for the kiddies."

The team took notice of the director's presence too, Ziva reached out her hand to Tony's chin and pushed his mouth closed as he continued to stare at the bar. After a second or too, Tony turned his head toward the group "this is just like Rick's Cafe in Casablanca, Gibbs is Humphrey Bogart and the director is Ingrid Bergman. The have a torrid affair in Paris years ago, keeping dark secrets about their past, and then she stumbles back into his life years later. Tony puts on his best Bogart voice "_in all the Gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine"_

"I didn't know everyone knew about their affair in Paris?" Ziva said, unbeknownst to her that DiNozzo was simply referring to Rick and Iisa affair in the movie. Tony's eyes got huge and his mouth went in the shape of an "oh" as he stared to look at Ziva. He was about to say "I knew it!" when the look on his face was wiped off quickly by a quick slap to the back of the head by Abby.

"What was that for Abbs!" DiNozzo whined, just as Gibbs and Jenny showed up with the next round. Gibbs just gave DiNozzo a glare. He didn't know what Tony was talking about but he had a pretty idea who it was about. At least Abby had his back.

"Director, I am so glad you're here" Abby cried and jumped off her stool in an attempt to hug the director. Jenny put her hand to Abby's shoulder to politely ward off any unnecessary physical contact. "Outside of work, Abby, please call me Jenny."

The group chatting around the high top table about work stuff, not so much about the case but about this and that. Abby suggested calling Ducky, since it was weird having them all together without the medical examiner and his side-kick but Jenny assured Abby that he was probably already into his evening tea in preparation for bed.

Tony had said very little as he was still mulling over Ziva's little slip of the tongue. He needed to find out more. "So, director, what was it like working with Gibb's back in the day"

Jenny was too good to take his bait, "Well, Agent DiNozzo, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you" she deadpanned.

"Come, on" he countered, I can keep a secret."

"Rule number 4, Tony!" she said referring to Gibbs rules about keeping secrets. She looked over to Gibbs "After I left did you stop educating your probies on the rules of life?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"No" he replied, taking a sip of his Bourbon and his face getting a little darker "after you left I had to add a few more rules."

Jenny smirk was wiped clear off her face and she turned to Abby and McGee, quickly changing the subject. She was not in the mood to revisit her walking out on Jethro, especially because she didn't' want his team to know any details about what type of relationship they shared in the past. Ziva was the only one that knew Jenny and Gibbs were partners in more than one sense of the word.

Ziva picked up on the tension and was anxious to remove Tony from making any more comments that inadvertently stirred up the past. Tony had been arrogantly pronouncing his godly skills at pool so she challenged him to a game. She was eager to take him down a notch.

Jenny was feeling awkward after Jethro's comment and decided that coming here was a mistake. She downed her bourbon fast but no too fast, stuck between wanting to remove herself from Gibb's stare and not looking like she was running away. She hastily made an excuse about needing sleep and started to rise from the table. Gibbs blocked her with his body, put a menu in her hand, and said one word "eat".

She looked up at him and he continued to glare at her. She pursed her lips, nodding her head to the side saying "Jethro, I don't need a baby sitter." When he didn't move she added "Do you mind?"

When he still didn't move, she yelled "Jethro, if you don't' move you will suffer the same fate as that poor French peddler in Marseille, and this time I'll make sure I hit both testicles"

McGee took cover behind his menu but Abby was following the interaction closely. Unlike Tony, she didn't' care about the past between Gibbs and the director. She cared deeply about Gibbs and couldn't decide if the director was the worst or best thing to happen to Gibbs. The romantic in her thought that Jenny might be Gibb's best chance for happiness. She was a woman who understood him and accepted him and it was clear to Abby, he was over his head in love with her. Because of that, the director had the potential to hurt Gibbs deeply and Abby was not going to sit by and let that happen either.

Gibbs continued to use his body to prevent Jen from getting up but his expression softened "Jen, when is the last time you've eaten?"

She thought back but in all honesty, she really couldn't remember. "Exactly" Gibbs said "now sit!" He ordered. She put on a pout but she wasn't sad about staying. Her stomach was starting to feel like a butterflies nest, she just wasn't' sure if that was from the lack of food or the fact that Jethro's thighs were pinning her legs to the chair. She felt the sensation well below her stomach when he learned over to whisper in her ear "you used to be a lot nicer to my testicles"

Jenny bit her lip to prevent herself from saying anything. She secretly wanted to remind him off all the things she could do to his testicles but she knew she needed to be the adult. They had been dancing around their carnal desire for one another since she became director and while she knew they both could use a roll in the sack for old time's sake, she would be the one to take the fall. Everything she worked so hard for would fall to pieces and Jethro would just move on to the next leggy red head. That being said, if he was going to continue to make her feel uncomfortable with his well-placed sexual innuendos, she could play his game too. It would be revenge for the hours upon hours she took to pacify other agencies heads because of his antics.

She ordered a salad and another drink. Tony and Ziva were making their way back to the table, Tony looking a little demoralized while Ziva made no attempts to hide a "I just kicked your ass" grin. Jenny stepped down off her chair "Jethro, I challenge you to a game of 8-ball, winner picks up the tab." Gibbs looked over saying "oh, you are so on" and they headed over to the privacy of the pool table.

Jenny pulled the balls from the pockets and made a show out of handling them as she racked them up, she thought she was being subtle until he said "has it been a while Jen, forget how they feel?" She picked up the cue ball and headed over to the head of the table where Jethro was getting ready to break. She sat in front of him and placed the ball in his hands, turning his fingers over the ball saying "no it hasn't, I just like playing with certain balls more than others."

Jethro didn't move for a few seconds, mostly because she was sitting in his way but also because he was starting to feel his blood moving to certain area of his body. Once he composed himself he let the balls fly. She stood up and watched him break, feeling a little turned on by the power of his hips as he made contact with the cue ball.

He landed a 10 ball in the corner pocket. He called stripes and proceeded to line up the next shoot. It went wide so Jenny chalked up her cue and started looking at her options. She was leaning over the table, lining up the 2 ball. As she leaned over her sweater hung about an inch off her body giving Gibbs a straight shot down her top. And he took in the view. He was a little embarrassed that he was acting much too much like DiNozzo and taking in the cheap thrill, but she had the best breasts and seeing them peeking out of her ivory lace bra left him practically helpless.

Jen knocked down her shot and looked up in enough time to see where Jethro's eyes were fixed. She walked over to his side of the table and lined up her next shot but before she let the cue fly she said "did you enjoy the view".

She sank two in a row and stood up to get his reaction. "Immensely, but I am a little confused" he said

"and pray tell, why is that" she asked

He leaned over and whispered "Ivory seems a little mild for you"

"mild?" she countered, their eyes meeting. Her voice got a little huskier as she said seductively "I think you would use a much different adjective if you saw the other half of the matching set"

She gave his a few second to get the visual then she bent down to line up her next shot. Fully focused on her ass now, he knew from the lack of pantie lines that she was sporting a thong and this time it was more than a little blood rushing to the area.

"I'll be back with another round" he said as he darted quickly off to the bar. Jenny smiled from ear to ear and she took her shoot. She missed but she didn't' care, she had accomplished her mission.

When he returned, they finished their game without any toe-curling innuendos and returned to the table for food. Abby was leading a discussion on body art as Tony kept defending his plate form Ziva's french fry stealing fingers. Gibbs rolled his eyes at Jenny over Ziva and Tony's antics and Jenny just smiled, they were spitting images of Jen and Jethro all those years ago.

Jenny was the first to leave, she picked up the tab and Jethro walked her to her car. As they walked towards the door she said "Jethro, I have a security detail, I think I can make it the 20 feet from the entrance to the car."

"I have to be careful with you. You have a tendency to disappear without a word" he said.

Jenny continued to walk through the door content on making her way to the car without acknowledging the comment. They had a great night and she didn't want it to end with a fight. As they made their way into the open air he grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. Then he asked the questions she had been dreading since her return.

"Why d'you leave, Jen?" he voice was low and soft. It wasn't angry but she could detect a hint of pain and knew it took a lot for him to ask the question.

She looked down and pulled her arm from his grasp. She couldn't look in his eyes "Jethro, I had a great night. Thanks for the non-date" she said with a half heated smile and headed for her car. He was about to let her go but five bourbons were really clouding his better judgment and he jogged to her car and meet her at the door. She was facing her car door with her hand on the handle as he came up behind her. He placed his hand over her shoulder, pinning the glass to prevent her from opening the door. He didn't say anything, he just stood there and waited for her to turn around.

When she did, he kept his arm on the window, essential trapping her in his arms. As she looked up at him she swallowed and again he found his eyes roaming up and down, from her throat, past her lips, to her eyes. If she were any other women he would already have made his move but this was Jenny. She had left him in Europe and made it clear when she reappeared in his life that their relationship was strictly business. This had to be her call.

Jenny body was taking over her brain. He could see the desire in her eyes and the indecision in her mind. Then the next words out of her mouth were pure Jenny, "God, I want to fuck you in the worst way Jethro… but we can't go down this path again"

Well, that was one way to avoid the question. Gibbs continues to stare in her eyes. She prided himself on reading him but he was just as good. He could tell that she was caving. He was rock hard now and he took a final step towards her so that she could feel just how bad he wanted to fuck her too.

As he pressed her into the car door she slipped her hand behind her and lifted the handle of the car door and quickly dashed inside. Gibbs was left standing there, alone.

He was about the slam his hand down on the roof to vent his frustration when she opened the door a crack and peered out saying "Are you coming or not?"

Gibbs looked left and right, as if he was about to say an inappropriate joke and was scanning his surroundings, and giving himself the all clear, he whispered to himself, "Oh, I'm cummin" and he slipped in after her. He settled in her backseat, she was busy holding the button to close the tinted window that separated her from her driver. Gibbs sat and waited, like a good little school boy with his hands folded in his lap.

Jenny sat back and folded her legs and for a moment they sat in silence. Then she rested her head all the way back and turned her head towards him so she was resting her cheek on the seat back and looking at him. He laid his head back facing her as well.

She reached out to his face and ran her fingertips down the side of his cheek. There should have been a million thoughts running through her head regarding all the reasons why she should not be doing this but all she could think about now was getting him naked, in her bed. She just hoped she could make it that long.


	3. Chapter 3: Jump Right In

Chapter 3: Jump Right In

_a/n: Rated M, R&R_

They traveled on in silence for a few minutes. Jethro reached his breaking point first and he grabbed her legs at the knees and pulled them towards him causing her to fall back on the seat rather roughly as he climbed over her and found her lips with his.

She reached her arms up and grabbed the back of his hair with her fingers as they frantically kissed, acting as if they were subconsciously afraid this could end at any moment. The kissed passionately for a few miles, exploring each other's mouths with their tongues, the past and the future were far removed from their minds. The taste of the present being all they cared about.

Jethro had his hand on her waist, originally to keep them from falling off the seat, but now he grabbed her hips with both hands and pulled her towards him. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. As they paused briefly to breathe, she moved her lips to his ear whispering "Jethro, don't you think we're a little old for car sex?" and then she took his lobe in her mouth and sucked on it hard.

His eyes rolled back as he was doing everything in his power to not rip her clothes off her body. He was only semi-conscious that her security detail was in the front seat and they had to find a way to get from the car to her house. He was trying to preserve her modesty as best he could.

As she worked on his ear lobe he had a free shot at her gorgeous white neck that he had been obsessed with all evening. He lowered his lips to her neck and sucked so deeply that he knew she would have a bruise for days. She dropped his ear, closed her eyes, and snapped her head back in a low moan. When he finished he brought his lips back to hers.

As their tongues were reacquainting themselves, Jenny worked her arm between them and began to stroke his length. He had to fight the urge to buck into her hand. He broke their kiss and said through gritted teeth, "If you want to walk out of this car with a shred of clothing on, don't do that again."

She smirked as she let her hand travel from his groin, up his chest, and to the back of his head. She was about to tease him further when the car stopped. Jethro lifted his head up to look out the window and thanked the travel gods that they were finally at her place. They awkwardly untangled themselves and took a moment to arrange their clothing. Usually her security detail opened the door for her but she silently thanked them for stoically sitting in the front seat.

Jethro looked at her and she nodded slightly so they both opened their doors and made their way up her front walk. He followed about a step behind her but he couldn't resist the urge and placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her up her front walk. As she reached her front door she turned back and waved off her security detail, they both paused a moment to let them drive off. As soon as they were out of sight, Jethro pinned her up to the door and claimed her mouth again. He had wanted to kiss her since the moment she walked back into his life and the months of her adherence to "no off the job" had only made the desire for her stronger. They made out for a few more minutes before he said "Inside…now". She smiled up at him with the most seductive look in her eyes saying "yes, sir" in a sultry voice.

He practically chased her upstairs and they started disrobing each other quickly. He grabbed her teal sweater by the hem and violently jerked it over her head revealing the ivory lacey bra he had only caught glimpses of earlier in the evening. He cupped her breasts roughly as his lips searched for her mouth. She grabbed his belt bulk and was trying to undo it but he was moving too much and she got frustrated. He was having trouble finding the side zipper in her black pants so she took a step back, breaking all contact saying "you do you and I'll do me." The she removed her heels and dropped her pants in less than 5 seconds. He didn't move. She stood there in her ivory lingerie on and he was very much enjoying the site before him. She was gorgeous.

"Jethro! Clothes…Now!"

Instead he took two quick steps towards her and practically tackled her, pinning her to the sheets and began kissing her all over. She was giggling at his untamed desire for her and Jethro smiled through his kisses. She used to laugh a lot when they were together and since she became director, it was a rare occasion. He loved her laugh.

She managed to get his polo over his head and undo his pants, he stood up to heel off his shows, remove his socks, and step out of his pants. As he made his way back to the bed she crawled on top of him and started returning the favor.

They were tangling in the sheets, kissing each other's lips, chin, and neck. Jethro was ready to take her but he wanted them to climax together and he knew just how to get her there.

Jethro pinned her to the bed and started kissing his way down her body. He pulled her breasts out of her bra and teased them with his tongue before taking each one in his mouth and sucking lightly on them. Jenny's pulse was rising and her hips began to move as she moaned his name. He continued on his journey, across her belly and down her navel, placing small kisses. He settled himself between her legs and as lightly as he could, he ran his tongue along her opening. She flinched as if she had been burned, she was so sensitive.

He followed his tongue with his fingers, opening her folds and when he attached her with his tongue she yelled "God, Jethro…fuck!"

She knew he was smirking and quite frankly she didn't care. He held her folds apart as he alternated between darting his tongue in and out of her and gently massaging her clit with his tongue. As her breathing got heavier he would move to her thighs, placing small butterfly kisses. He was teasing her, getting her close to coming without delivering the lethal blow. He had just started in with his tongue again when…

_Ring-Ring, Ring-Ring_

Jethro's phone started ringing. He popped his head up from between her legs to look at her. She looked down at him saying 'Jethro, if you answer that phone you are fired!"

The smile that spread across his face was priceless. "It is not funny!" she countered. "I need you to get inside me… now!"

She had barely gotten the words out when he grabbed her legs, under her thighs as he rose to a kneeling position and pulled her hard into him. She screamed both from pleasure and from shock. She forgot how strong he was and how easily he could manipulate her body.

As he continued to drive into her he screamed "Fuck, Jen."

At the sound of his voice she realized that she needed to look into his eyes so she sat up. They were essentially sitting in each other's laps. She brought her hands up around to his shoulders and used them for leverage to ride him.

Their entire bodies were entwined from their lips to their legs. They were both on the verge when

_Ring-Ring, Ring-Ring_

This time it was her cell phone, Jethro ground his teeth and Jenny just yelled "what is wrong with people!"

He brought his hands up and cradled her face, running his thumbs over her cheeks to calm her down. She looked at him with a mixture of lust and need. For a brief moment their eyes betrayed their true feelings for one another. This was more than just sex between two former lovers. She was the only one who made him feel whole again.

Their foreheads touched and their eyes meet, Jethro was afraid she could see directly into his soul. To distract himself he lifted her hips with his hands and drove her hard into him. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back in a deep moan.

Jethro felt a weird shiver, not from the intimacy but from the strange feeling his gut had been giving him since the press conference yesterday. He felt like he was being watched. He blocked it from his mind and laid her gentle on the bed.

They made love the old fashion way and came together to a chorus of moans. As they came down together, Jethro slowly pulled out of her and lay down at her side. They were catching their breathe when

_Ring-Ring, Ring-Ring_

It was Jethro's turn. As he rose from the bed to get the phone he snarked "someone better be dead". He flipped open his phone saying "Gibbs"

Jenny watched the look of dread that spread over Jethro's face. She hastily got up and moved to her phone to check the missed call.

She heard Gibbs say "Don't move. Tape off the lab. I'll be there in 10." Jenny started dressing before he flipped closed the phone.

'Someone broke into Abby's lab. The Martinez evidence has been stolen and the computers wiped clean."

They both dressed in less than a minute and were heading out the door. As the passed the foyer Jenny stopped and ran into her study. Jethro was about to comment that they had no time to waste when he saw she was tucking a knife into her pocket. She hadn't carried since she became director but something in her gut told her she might need it.

Jethro smiled briefly to himself, she would always be a field agent first and a director second.

Jethro grabbed her keys and they jumped into her car. There was no time to wait for her security detail to arrive. She was calling SecNav back as Jethro drove to the Navy Yard at about 100 mph. Jenny hung on for dear life and gave him a couple of nasty looks but she could say very little as she really didn't want the secretary of the navy wondering why her best agent was driving her to navy yard at 2am in the morning.

SecNav briefed her on the phone. Someone had gotten into the building through legitimate means at some point during the day as no security was breached at the entrance. When Ms. Abby Sciuto left for the night, she set the alarm to her lab at 10:02pm. At 1:35am the alarm was breached and security called Ms. Sciuto on her cell phone to see if she had reentered the lab. She was still with the team at the bar so they all headed back to the yard and tried to reach out to Gibbs.

When Abby confirmed it wasn't her, security called the director of NCIS, when she was unreachable, it escalated to the secretary of the navy. He called the FBI.

When the team arrived Abby was smart enough to not enter the lab to preserve any forensic evidence but she had to ream out the security guard Tanner. He had entered without gloves and marched around the lab looking for an intruder. When Abby questioned him about the evidence bags on her table he said there were none. Abby logged in to her computer from McGee's desk and discovered her files had been deleted. That's when she called Gibbs again.

All the evidence they had on Martinez was gone. All that was left was the report the director sent on to the FBI. Without the physical evidence, none of it would stand up in court.

When Gibbs and the director arrived at NCIS they emerged from the elevator to find Gibbs' team waiting anxiously for them in the bullpen. Abby ran right up to Gibbs "Gibbs, they were in my lab!" she was practically in tears. Gibbs put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and said "we will find him, Abs"

The director took charge, "I have a meeting in MTAC with SecNav and the director of the FBI, DiNozzo what's the situation.

Tony was chomping at the bit to ask why when they piled into McGee's car at the bar, Gibbs's car was still in the parking lot. The last they saw of him he was walking the director out, they all assumed he went home straight after until they saw his car. Now he shows up with the director in tow, she is in fresh outfit but he was still in his clothes from two days ago.

Jenny slightly glared at him to knock him out of his temporary trance. He was glad Gibbs was still across the room, it saved him from the most definite head slap. He snapped out of it and ran down the situation. As she turned to leave he noticed it. Just under her shirt collar was a hickey that was definitely not there at the bar. Holy Shit! Gibbs banged director!

As the director headed for the stairs Gibbs started barking orders "McGee get a list of all employees and guests that badged in and out yesterday. Find anyone with a potential link to Martinez and verify the whereabouts of all NCIS employees last night. Tony, Ziva, get down to the lab and take photos and dust for prints. They were about to move to their locations when the director leaned over the rail announcing.

"No one is moving from this bullpen until I speak with MTAC. That's an order!"

Gibbs scaled the steps in two seconds and got right into Jenny's face. "Jen, what are you doing?"

"Agent Gibbs" she started, reminding him of where they were and what his place was "there is no way that NCIS can process their own lab when the most likely scenario is that a member of NCIS is involved in the break in. You know as well as I do that when I walk out of MTAC, we will be on lockdown and the FBI will run the show.

Gibbs was fuming. "Well, Director Shepard" he countered with anger in his voice, "how about you do your job of sticking behind your agency and convince them to let us handle it"

"or here's an idea Agent Gibbs" she said with equal malice "you could simply obey a direct order and stand down!" she turned away and stormed off to MTAC before he could respond.

Gibbs raced down the stairs, his team just staring at him. "Go" he ordered. McGee started typing away while Ziva and Tony continued to stare. "DiNozza, David, if I look up again and you are not down in Abby's lab collecting evidence, you're both fired."

When neither moved he slowly tilted his head up and stared at them. Tony actually flinched before they both grabbed their gear and headed to the lab. "McGee" he shouted "make copies of anything from the Martinez case that was not erased. We got about 30 minutes before the FBI steps in"

Abby looked around frantically "Gibbs, please, please don't let the FBI in my lab." Abby was very protective of her space. "Abs, I am not going to have a choice but until they physically kick us out, I am going to get whatever evidence I can for you."

Then he grabbed his baseball cap and kit and headed to the lab. If Jenny was going to play hardball, he was going to come up swinging.

Jenny cut off the transmission with SecNav and the director of the FBI. She was right, they were on lockdown. No NCIS employee was allowed to enter or leave the building without the FBI's permission. Everyone here would be interviewed and then sent home. It was out of her hands, now she had to tell Gibbs and his team.

What the hell was she going to do about Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Dear God, why did she sleep with him! Well, she knew why, because she wanted to with every fiber of her being but now she was going have to deal with the consequences.

She walked out of MTAC and looked down at the bullpen, it was empty except for McGee. "Damn, him!" She knew exactly where he was. Before she headed after him she needed to go to bathroom. She was washing up in the sink in her office restroom when she noticed the large hickey on the side of her neck. She just closed her eyes and sighed, saying a little pray that the transmission in MTAC was too fuzzy for anyone to make out. She rummaged through her desk and found a pink scarf, it clashed nicely with the tan pants and light blue button down shirt that she was wearing but she needed to cover it up and quickly.

She made her way down to Abby's lab and there was Gibbs with a camera around his neck taking photos of the lab. She stood in the doorway and simply glared at him until he looked up "Madame Director" Gibbs greeted, knowing the Madame would get her goat.

She said "you, conference room, now" and she turned around and headed to the elevator. As he turned to follow her, he directed his loyal subjects to get copies of everything to McGee and head back to the bullpen.

She flipped the switch as soon as he entered and turned to face him. "Nice scarf" he said.

She sighed and decided to get down to business and save the reprimand for later "Jethro, no one is allowed to leave until the FBI interviews everyone and I mean everyone about their whereabouts last night. Perhaps we should discuss ours?"

He had already thought of this so without missing a beat he said "I escorted you home because of the late hour and we were discussing the Martinez case when Abby called"

"And, what specifically were we discussing about the Martinez case" she asked. When he gave her an odd look she said "Rule number 7: Always be specific when you lie"

"Good to know I trained you well" he teased.

"Not well enough apparently, I still can't' get my lead Agent to follow a direct order!"

"You mean the order you just gave us AFTER speaking with MTAC. My team has already stopped processing and we are waiting for the FBI to show up"

He grabbed the edge of her scarf and slowly pulled it down to inspect the damage he inflected on her neck. He inched closer and trialed his fingers over the wound, she flinched at his touch. "Jethro, we can't do this again. We can't start sneaking around, it is already about to blow up in our faces" she said seriously.

He reached his hand up to her face and in the same serious voice said "then let's not sneak"

The butterflies in her stomach started stirring. She was not prepared for that and she was speechless. She looked up at him and he could see the vulnerability and fear in her eyes. He backed away and flipped the elevator switch to bring them back to the bull pen. He did not want to hear her reject him again. As the elevator sprang to life they both spun to face the doors. He couldn't help himself from adding "What are you so afraid of Jen?"

The elevator binged that it had reached its destination and as the door started to open she answered his question in a whispered tone looking straight ahead at the elevator door "Falling in love with you again." Then she walked out the doors without looking back.


	4. Chapter 4: Crash My Party

Chapter 4: Gibb's gut

Jenny sat in her office chair as Agent Tobias Fornell and his partner Agent Casper began asking her a series of questions. What time did she leave for the bar? How long was she there? When did she leave to go home and with whom? They were all routine questions but she could tell from the smirk on Tobias' face that he was pretty confident that Gibbs didn't' escort the director home for security reasons. He had already interviewed Gibbs and his team and Tobias had a pretty good idea of how the night progressed.

"so why is it that neither of you answered your mobile phones when security tried to reach out to you?" Tobias' partner asked. Tobias was hiding his grin, enjoying every moment of this interview. "Well, Agent Casper" she responded, "you would have to ask Agent Gibbs why he didn't answer his phone" she was evading, trying to find out what Gibbs said first but Tobias wouldn't give her any hints. Damn him.

"and you?" Agent Casper asked

"I had laid my phone down in the foyer and didn't hear it" she answered. "Are we through, gentleman? I have not slept in over 48 hours."

"yes, director, thank you" said Agent Casper. As Fornell headed to the door he turned saying "Director, shall I call your security detail or would you rather Agent Gibbs take you home?"

Jenny gave him a good Gibbs glared before answering "I think I can handle driving myself home, thank you very much for your concern Tobias." He laughed as he walked out and closed her door behind him.

Fornell and Casper headed downstairs towards the bullpen when Jethro came up and matched their stride "Tobias, a word?"

Fornell's head nodded to Casper to get lost and the two old pals headed to the elevator. Jethro flipped the switch and turned to Agent Fornell "Tobias, there is something weird about this case."

"You mean, outside of the fact that we don't have Martinez or the hard evidence which was stolen by someone inside NCIS? I'd say that, yes, that is weird"

"no, it's something else, what are we missing?'

"for starters, a solid Alibi from you!" he said with a knowing smile "So Agent Gibbs, care to share the real reason why you two weren't answering your phones last night?" He took a sip of his coffee enjoying his attempts at making Jethro uncomfortable.

Jethro could play that game too "What do you want me to tell you, Tobias, that I didn't answer my phone because I was tongue fucking the director"

Tobias spit his hot coffee all over the elevator door. "Jesus, Jethro! You trying to kill me?" he said, composing himself. He looked over at Jethro and saw the look on his face "Holy Shit! You're serious."

Gibbs reactivated the elevator and tried to not make eye contact with Fornell. He didn't' say a word but it was clear he was suppressing a grin. Tobias just shook his head. Gibbs just couldn't resist a hot redhead.

_The next morning_

The team was slowly tricking in. They agreed to meet at 0700 in Gibbs' basement which Tony had dubbed the Batcave for this mission. That started an inane discussion over who would be what superhero and Tony flat out refused to be Robin to Gibbs' batman. Then he started rambling out loud about whether Ziva or the director would be wonder women, Tony looked up to sky as he mentally approved of the image. Gibbs could see him picturing Jenny in that outfit and he smacked him in the back of the head with enough force to remove the image from his mind.

Then they got down to business. As expected, they had to turn over any evidence they collected to the FBI on Martinez. Luckily, they had time to copy their initial intel from McGee's computer plus the initial evidence they collected from the NCIS break-in. They scanned the fingerprints they collected and copied the memory from the camera card and had everything safely tucked away on a USB key in McGee's pocket.

McGee pulled out his laptop and plugged in the stick and they started reviewing the evidence. "okay, from the beginning, go" said Gibbs

McGee began "on April 2nd the body of Georgetown professor Nicole Rose, 42, Caucasian brunette was found. Pictures indicate she was being stalked since her seminar on March 30." One April 6th the body of lawyer Sarah Wilson, 45, African American was discovered, pictures indicate she was being stalked since April 2nd. Then finally on April 10th, we discover the body of First Lieutenant Jane DeAngelis, 41 Caucasian blonde, pictures indicate she was being stalked from April 6th. It looks like as soon as he dumps his victims, he moves on to his next target"

"which means he is probably stalking someone right now" Tony added unnecessarily.

"What a minute?" Ziva said and she started digging around McGee's files. She pulled up the autopsy report on the first victim. "According to Ducky, Nicole Rose was only dead a few hours before her body was discovered" she then opened up another file that revealed the pictures taken of Sarah Wilson. "The first picture of victim number two is around the same time as the predicted time of death for victim one. One man cannot kill Nicole Rose in Georgetown at the same time that he is taking a picture of Sarah Wilson in Fairfax Virginia"

"He had an accomplice" McGee and DiNozzo announced in unison. "ya think!" replied Gibbs at the obvious deduction.

"Good job Ziva. Abby, go through every photograph again and create a timeline, Ziva cross check the timeline with the known locations, ignoring the sites of the kidnapping and body dump, and create a map of the accomplices whereabouts. McGee, you and Abby work on the NCIS break-in, I want a name, and fast.

'Tony, you're with me. We are going to the navy yard"

No one had reported seeing Martinez when they circulated his picture among the navy personal that were in the photo montage with the first lieutenant. Since it was most likely the accomplice who was taking the photos they had to do the interviews all over again. He needed to find out how this person was moving so freely among the navy yard without anyone noticing the camera.

They were driving to the yard, Tony sitting shot gun when Gibbs phone rang. "Gibbs" he said

"It's Tobias, hey we got a theory on the NCIS break-in and we need to brief the director, she's not answering her phone, I thought you might have something to do with that?" he asked

"Funny, Tobias, what do you have?"

Tobias started to talk but Gibbs wasn't listening. Something clicked in his head. All the victims were in their forties, sexy women, well accomplished. The accomplice or Martinez had access to the Navy Yard, Jenny wasn't answering her phone….

Gibbs blew a U-turn immediately sending Tony face first into the door window, Gibbs' stomach felt empty and in pain, please god he begged, let my gut be wrong. They pulled up to the director's house and they ran inside guns drawn. There in her foyer was a photo montage of the director.

_a/n: sorry this was so heavy on case details! Please read and review. Thanks for all those who are reading this, writing this is very therapeutic for me and I am happy that others are enjoying it._


	5. Chapter 5: Pieces

Chapter 5: Pieces

Gibbs just stared in silence. He eyes raking over the pictures of Jenny, On the left was an 8 x 10 pic of her face as she was arguing with Jethro at the press conference. Her eyes and body language revealing her sexuality as she passionately argued with him. This must have been the first shot, the accomplice must have blended in well with the news media.

Next, there were a couple of photos of her entering or exiting her car. Then it got disturbing, there were pictures of her at the bar, playing pool. All the photos were of her but Jethro could recall every instance as he was only a few feet away. There was a shot of her fondling the cue ball, a picture of her focusing hard as she took aim at a shot (again, her bra peeking through). She looked really beautiful. The shots must have been taken through the windows of the bar. In each shot, the photographer captured her beautiful facial expressions from a seductive smile to the grin that lite up her face when she was teasing him.

But, it was the final picture that put him in so much shock he was actually rooted to the floor. There was a shot of the two of them, naked, her legs wrapped around his lap and both of their eyes were closed, their foreheads touching. The picture captured the intimacy and passion of the moment as they made love the night before.

Tony waited in silence for Gibbs to mentally process the picture and then he reached up and grabbed the final photo. He ripped it from the wall and folded it in half. He then put the picture in Gibbs jacket pocket and flipped open his phone.

"Tobias, we got a situation" he began.

_Ten minutes later_

The FBI and the rest of Gibbs' team all arrived on scene. Pictures of the photo montage were taken as evidence and the FBI then placed each individual picture into an evidence bag. Gibbs was grateful for Tony's foresight in removing the picture of them making love.

He had snapped out of his temporary trance and began barking orders at his team. The FBI had caught the team up to speed. They couldn't find any other prints in Abby's lab beside the security guard Tanner and Abby's. They were a little surprised at the amount and placement of the security guards fingerprints and investigated him further. He had spent a considerable amount of time as a freelance photographer and he had a press badge as he often submitted photos to the newspaper. As a navy security guard he had full access to the Navy Yard. Tobias was planning on briefing the director on the possibility Tanner as a partner or accomplice and was about to send a team to pick him up.

Gibbs volunteered his team to bring in Tanner. Tobias consented as he figured Gibbs needed something to do and the FBI was already processing the director's home. As the team rolled out, Tobias yelled after him "Alive, Jethro!"

Oh, he'll be alive, thought Jethro, but he may never be able to walk again. He was going to do whatever it took to find out where this bastard Martinez was keeping Jenny.

When they arrived at Tanners, he sent David and DiNozzo around back and McGee and Gibbs went through the front. Guns drawn they entered the house shouting "clear" as they checked each room. Ziva yelled "in here" and Gibbs ran to the kitchen.

There, lying on the couch was NCIS security guard Tanner with a bullet hole in the center of his head. Gibbs was getting close to panic level now. He took a few steps back until he felt the security of the wall and he bent his knees sliding his back down the wall. He closed his eyes and hoped to hell she was alright. The team called Ducky and then ran to the car for their kits and started processing the scene. Gibbs stood up just as Tony exclaimed, "The director was here"

Gibbs ran over and there, just sticking out from under the couch was Jenny's bracelet. There were no signs of a struggle "She's leaving breadcrumbs" Gibbs said.

Ziva looked up a Tony with a weird look on her face and Tony explained that breadcrumbs meant she was leaving a trail. "I need a time of death pronto, where the hell is Ducky! We know she was alive and cognizant at the time of the murder. I want this place gone over with a fine tooth comb, we need to find out where he has taken her." Martinez had been very careful about leaving any incriminating evidence behind, he hoped that Tanner was less savvy.

Gibbs called Tobias to tell him about Tanner and found out that Jenny was abducted from her home. She had been tied, at least temporally, to a chair in her study, and then Martinez drove off with the two of them in her car. A BOLO was already put out. They found her shoe and some blood in the driveway, they were sending the blood to Abby's lab.

Ducky arrived. He had been briefed on the phone and he started to approach Gibbs to provide some words of comfort, before he could say anything Gibbs said "I need a TOD on the vic, we need a timeline on this bastard, now!"

Ducky and Palmer got to work, Ducky knew Gibbs needed a friend but now was not the time. Liver temp indicated Tanner was killed early this morning. Martinez was about 3 hours ahead of them. The good news was Jenny was still alive 3 hours ago. The bad news, they had no idea where to look next.

Abby arrived next and picked up the samples she needed to process and was given permission to get back into her lab. With Tanner dead, the case of who stole the evidence was closed.

McGee shouted "I got something boss' and Gibbs rushed to the bedroom. In the night stand drawer was a burn phone. 'He has received multiple calls from the same number over the last few days, it must be how Martinez and Tanner were communicating." McGee continued "If Martinez phone is GPS enabled, we can track him"

"Do it, and call me the second you get an address" Gibbs shouted. Ziva, you're with me"

_Meanwhile_

Martinez rammed Jenny down into the chair in some abandon warehouse in the outskirts of DC. She had her hands tied behind her back and her ankles tied to the chair legs.

She had been coming home last night and she parked in her driveway, making her way to her front door. She was so tired that she let her guard down. As she unlocked her door, Martinez came up behind her with a gun to her head. He guided her into the study where he tied her to the chair in her study. Then he left for about 20 minutes and she could hear him moving around. It wasn't till he came back to retrieve her that she saw the photo montage. She knew then she had about 24 hours to live.

She still had her knife on her and she needed to try to make her escape. Her hands were tied behind her back and he was pulling her arm to get her near the car. She slowly lifted the knife but she would have little leverage to stab him. When he moved behind her to shove her into the car she bent her knees and lowered the knife into his thigh. He screamed in pain and punched her in the face. Her nose instantly started spewing blood everywhere. His thigh was bleeding badly too. She twisted her ankle from the blow and lost one of her heals.

She gathered herself and was about to make a run for it when the barrel of the gun came down on her head. She blacked out. When she awoke she was in Martinez car and the sun was starting to rise. He had clearly stopped somewhere as his leg was clean and bandaged. At least that bought some time for the FBI and NCIS to find her.

They pulled in front of a house, that she later realized was Tanners and he instructed her to get out. Tanner was expecting Martinez but was freaking out when the director was brought in. "You can't bring her here are you fucking crazy" he screamed.

Jenny had been thrown haphazardly on the couch. Her arms were tied behind her back but loose enough that she was able unhook her bracelet. She was hoping to use it later to leave a clue of where they were heading. She grasped it in her fingers waiting for the right opportunity to drop it.

"Tanner, sit down and relax" said Martinez and Tanner took a seat next to Jenny. Jenny was about to ask where they were going when Tanner moved his gun from pointing at Jenny and within and instant, shot Tanner in the head.

The noise started Jenny and she dropped the bracelet on the floor. She looked up at him in fear.

"Don't worry, sweatheart, I'm not done with you yet" he said as he pulled out her knife from his pocket and ran it along her cheek. "Before the day is done, I am going to have you screaming as I have my way with you. Pleasure or pain, your choice. But first, we need to move" he grabbed her by the hair to get her to stand and then they were back in the car.

They drove for about an hour and ended up in this abandon warehouse. It was similar to where the other bodies were dumped. Victim one was found in an abandon house, raped and beaten to death. Victim two in a barn, raped and shot. Victim three, the first lieutenant, had been sliced up with a knife and then violated sexually. Either way, Jenny knew her time was running out.

_a/n: _Enjoy! Thanks for the reviews


	6. Chapter 6: See You Again

Chapter 6: See You Again

They had been processing the scene for about an hour when Abby called to tell Gibbs that the blood on the director's driveway came from two sources, one matching Jenny's blood type and the other presumable Martinez. Gibbs remembered Jenny had her knife on her. Good, hopefully Martinez was injured.

They were packing up to go back to NCIS when the FBI called. They had a trace on Tanner's cell phone. "Where" shouted Gibbs as he was already on his way to the car, his team piling into the second vehicle. The cell phone was traced to an abandon warehouse about 45 minutes away. Ziva took the wheel and no one said a word, with Gibbs and Ziva driving, they could get there in 20 minutes.

Meanwhile Jenny watched Martinez as he set up a trip wire explosive on the door. She was confused as to why he would try to blow them up. This was a new _MO_ for him and she needed to dig for more information to try and figure out Martinez's plan.

"You know Daniel, if the FBI or NCIS break down that door you are going to blow up with them" He looked over at her, "I appreciate your concern, sweetheart, but the blast radius will keep me safe. You, on the other hand, I'm not so sure of"

"What's your end game, Daniel, why kidnap me to simply blow me up? What is it you want?" she asked. He stopped his preparations and walked over to her. He ran his tongue along her cheek and lips saying "don't worry, I'll make sure I get what I want"

Jenny recoiled from his touch. She wanted to bite his tongue in retaliation but then he might just shoot her. She was going to have to stall him the best she could until they found her. She knew they would find her, she just hoped she was still alive when they did.

After licking her face, Martinez flicked open his blade and used his knife to cut open the buttons on her blouse, one by one. He ran the blade along the outline of her bra and over her nipples. When she shuddered, he backhanded her across the face. She whimpered in pain as he made contact with her already abused nose. He started to run the blade down her belly when they heard the tire squeals outside. "I guess they found you quicker than you thought?" she said.

He ran to the window and flicked open the blinds. Gibbs, McGee, David, and DiNozzo emerged with guns drawn. 'Looks like your boyfriend is here to rescue you" Martinez cursed and went back to check on his C4. Then he moved her chair to just in front of the door and he took his position in the back of the room, peaking through the small window pane. Jenny had to find a way to warn Gibbs and his team, but she only had one shot. She knew if she yelled too much than Martinez would just shoot her. She had to be creative.

Gibbs held up two fingers and pointed them around back. Gibbs and Tony took the front door. They didn't have time to get ear whigs or vests so they were communicating via cell phone. "In position, Boss, but there is no back entrance" said DiNozzo into his phone. "Stay in position, there might be a way out we don't see" said Gibbs.

He was about to blow through the door when he heard Jenny shout "Positano is that you!"

Gibbs held up the stop sign to McGee. She was sending him a sign. He sat thinking for a few moments. When they were undercover in Positano he took a shot to the chest. Was she trying to tell him she was shot? He heard Dinozzo's voice in his ear saying "Boss, you going in?"

"Stand down, Tony, meet back at the car" he had to figure this out.

Martinez was enraged at her outburst and stood up and put his gun to Jenny's temple. "Another outburst and I pull the trigger. Which will be a shame, because I still haven't gotten what I came here for" he said. That gave him an idea. He put his gun in the waist band of his pants and grabbed her neck with both hands. He squeezed hard as he whispered in her ear, "that should keep you quiet."

For insurance he grabbed the pink scarf from her neck and gagged her with it so she couldn't speak. Looking down at her with her shirt open, blood on her face, and a large bruise forming on her neck turned the sick bastard on, it was making him want her more. He moved her chair a little further back from the door saying "I think I want you intact when the blast goes off, I am going to enjoy you before this is through" He bent down to whisper in her ear "I think you're going to be the best yet. I like a woman with a little fight in her" and then he stuck his tongue in her ear. Jenny had to do everything she could to not puke into her scarf.

Jethro thought back to Positano mission. They had intel that a major drug deal was going to go down but when they broke down the door at the meeting place, it was a set up. Jethro took a shot to the chest. Was she trying to warm him that Martinez knew they were coming? That made no sense, of course he knew they were coming, he kidnapped the damn director of NCIS.

"Boss, what's going on" Tony asked as he jogged up to their car. Gibbs briefed Tony and Ziva and they started shouting out ideas. "Gibbs, what else happened in Positano?'

Well, he couldn't really tell them that story, but as he thought back to his recovery and the fond moments they shared in an Italian hotel room he remembered it. A few days after the Positano blunder the real drug deal went down and it didn't' go smoothly. Jethro and Jenny were replaced by another team that acted as buyers, when the team entered the meeting area they set off a detonator and got blown to pieces.

"The door is rigged to explode" he whispered. He took a couple of deep breathes. What the hell were they going to do now?

They scanned the area and the only window was in the back corner and it was about a inch window pain. Gibbs didn't have his sharpshooter.

"How is he planning on getting out?" asked McGee. That was a good point. "There has to be another exit, your three, find it!" he shouted. Then he grabbed his binoculars and got into the car and rolled down the window. He positioned the binoculars on the ledge of the window, the car keeping his body mostly hidden. He had one shot and it had to be perfect.

The team returned with bad news, there was no other entrances to the warehouse. Jenny was losing time, he had to take the shot. Tony and Ziva moved about 50 feet behind the car and were instructed to make a distraction, something that would make Martinez look out the window. McGee was calling the bomb squad and EMTs to have everyone en route. Gibbs gave the go sign and Tony and Ziva started shooting the tires of the director's car that Martinez drove to the warehouse. As predicted, Martinez looked out to see what the commotion was. Thankfully he paused for a second trying to figure out why they were shooting his tires when…his whole world went blank. Gibbs hit him with a single shot to the temple.

Jenny shrieked into the scarf thinking the sound was from Martinez blowing her brains out. She turned her head to the side and saw him lying dead on the floor. About a minute later Gibbs was at the window. "Jenny, you okay?"

She turned her head and nodded to him. He took one look at her and his knees almost buckled. She was beaten and bruised, tied up, and gagged. Gibbs broke out the rest of the glass with the butt of his gun and stuck his head all the way inside. "Bomb squads on its way." There were multiple bricks of C4 against the entrance. Thank god she warned him or the whole team would have gone up in smoke.

It took the bomb squad considerable time to get safely in the room and diffuse the bomb. They undid Jenny's gag and ties but she didn't move. She waited for Jethro.

He crouched down in front of her, afraid to touch her not knowing how badly she was hurt. Her nose was bleeding and her eyes had started to blacken, probably from the shots to the nose. Then he saw the large bruises on her neck, covering the mark he left on her the night before. He felt sick to his stomach.

"Jenny, look at me" he asked more than commanded

She opened her eyes and slowly brought them up to his face. "I'm so sorry" he said. She opened her mouth to speak, to scold him for apologizing but no words came out.

"Don't try to talk, your throat needs to heal" he said to her gently.

The EMTs were behind him now with a stretcher and that seem to bring back Jenny's moxie. At the sight of the stretcher, she stood up on her feet. Her ankle buckled and she fell into Jethro. He supported her weight and the two of them walked out the front door of the warehouse. She leaned heavily on him but she walked out with her head held high.

Tobias, Tony, Ziva, and McGee were leaning against their cars watching from a distance. They all respected the privacy of the moment. Gibbs led her to the ambulance entrance and she shook her head no

He sat her on the bumper and put his hands on her shoulders facing her. "Jen, you have too, they need to check out your throat." She nodded to assent and Gibbs sat next to her on the bumper. She shivered from the cool air and Jethro threw his coat over her shoulders. They were looking straight at Gibb's team and she was able to give them a little smile of thanks. They returned her smile and piled into the car to head back to the Navy Yard.


	7. Chapter 7: I Want Crazy

Chapter 7: I Want Crazy

Jenny woke up to the sun slowly filling her bedroom. She always loved how the light warmed the room each morning. She stretched and felt the twinge in her ankle and neck. Her eyes still had a lingering bluish tint to them from the shots she took to her nose but for the most part, it was her neck and ankle that were bugging her.

She had been asleep for about 20 hours and her body was thanking her. Jethro had escorted her to the hospital and then home where he helped her out of her clothes and into a tee shirt and shorts, and he got her settled in bed.

She needed to shower, she felt really gross. She made her way to her bathroom and started to run the hot water. She looked at herself in the mirror, she as going to have to use a considerable amount of concealer before heading to the Navy Yard.

She stood under the hot water going over the events of the last couple of days in her head. While she should have been more concerned with almost losing her life, her mind kept returning to Jethro. Complicated was the only word that kept coming to her mind.

As Jenny perused her closest she needed to pick her outfit carefully. With her ankle on the fritz, she couldn't go for her usual heels yet she still wanted to display her strength to her agents. She wanted to look powerful, sexy, and confident.

She went with knee high black flat boots, a gray and black checkered pencil skirt that was probably a little tighter and shorter than appropriate for work, and a black turtleneck sweater. She didn't need everyone starring at her bruised neck all day. Hiding the bruises on her face was much harder but she figured she would hide behind her shades until she reached her office.

When the elevator binged and she emerged into the bullpen she could hear the volume of noise subside as everyone stopped to glimpse at her strolling across the floor. She purposely made eye contact with no one but she could feel every one starting at her. As she made her way up the stairs she felt a particular glare more intensity and against her better judgment she looked off the left and saw Jethro tracking her every movement. She turned back before their eyes meet and made it to the safety of her office. She hoped he was smart enough to not run right after her.

She was pleasantly surprised that she got through most of her morning before Jethro decided he needed to see her. He waltzed right in without knocking and sat down in the chair opposite her. She continued to type her e-mail and waited for him to speak first. Of course, he didn't, he just stubbornly waited her out. She stopped typing and looked up at him. He tilted his head to the side while looking at her as if he were trying to solve a puzzle. Finally she had enough

"What?" she said.

"That's quite a skirt you're sporting. Hot lunch date?" he asked.

"Did you really come up her to discuss my skirt Jethro?" she asked in return. They both liked to answer each other's questions with more questions, this way they never had to answer anything.

Finally he threw a red FBI folder on her desk. She grabbed it and asked while opening the folder "What's this?"

"Apparently when the FBI processed your house they found fresh seamen on your sheets" he began. Jenny closed her eyes, knowing exactly what was coming next "they were hoping it was Martinez and they would have fresh DNA evidence against him" he continued. She flipped through the pages and started shaking her head when the picture from Jethro's NCIS ID was staring back up at her from page two of the report.

"Tobias was kind enough to remove this particular piece of evidence before it reached the final report. It's yours to keep" he finished

"Great" she said sarcastically "I'll mount it to my refrigerator"

Jethro was disappointed, she had climbed back into her protective shell. He decided not to press her and give her a little time to herself. He got up and walked out the door without a word.

She didn't notice the disappointment on her face. Instead, she was wondering about what this little red file on her desk was going to do to her career.

It was getting late now and Jenny was watching the sunset from her office. She was exhausted and probably shouldn't have put in a full day. She packed up her things to go and headed to the elevator. She was waiting for the elevator to arrive when she felt a sudden rush of vertigo and she steadier herself by reaching out for the wall. She took a few deep breathes when someone came up beside her and grabbed her bag from her other arm. She was grateful as she now had two arms to steady herself.

The elevator arrived and the two former partners and lovers entered the elevator together. Jenny was not in the least bit surprised when Jethro immediately flipped the switch to stop the elevator. She was waiting for her scolding about working too hard and coming back to fast. She was surprised when he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into an embrace. He was both hugging and holding her at the same time.

Usually she would have backed away from this sort of physical contact but she was so tired and weak that she simply melted into his arms. Neither of them spoke. She wrapped her arms around his body and rested her check on his chest. Without her heels she was considerably shorter than him and her entire head fit under his chin. When she realized she couldn't do this alone anymore she whispered softly "Take me home, Jethro"

It was probably around 4am on Saturday morning and Jethro was working in his boat. He had taken Jenny home last night but he left quickly after, she was vulnerable and tired and he didn't want to push her into saying or doing anything she would regret, no matter how badly he wanted to crawl in bed with her.

He tried to sleep after he got home but his mind was playing tricks on him. Why did he care so much? Why was he trying so hard? She clearly was not giving him the green light, why can't' he just move on?

An hour or so earlier, Jenny had woken from a nightmare. She wasn't sure if it was an old or new monster that was taunting her sleep but either way, she was awake for the day. She went downstairs to make coffee when she noticed Jethro's jacket in the foyer. She had worn it home from the hospital and forgot it was there. She picked it up and took a deep breathe inhaling his scent. God he smelt good.

She slipped the jacket on, it felt like a child's favorite blanket. It kept her warm and soothed her inner demons. She stood in front of the coffee maker and put her hands in the pockets of his jacket as she waited. That is when she felt the piece of paper folded in his jacket.

She pulled it out and opened it up, there staring back at her was picture of the two of them making love. She wasn't so much shocked that this photo existed. Instead, she was transfixed by the expression on his face. She finally understood. Now, she had to explain it to him.

Jethro was still in his basement. The smell of the wood and the concentration of the work kept some of the thoughts at bay. That all ended, however, when he heard a noise. He looked up and saw a pair of white legs descending the staircase.

She was in the tee shirt and shorts that he helped her put on for bed. Over top of that, she had on is jacket from the night he rescued her. She walked slowly to his work bench, she boosted herself up so she was sitting on the table and then she opened up the picture and pretended to study it.

In all the confusion Jethro had forgotten about the photo. He watched her studying the picture, wondering what the hell was going through her mind. Finally she spoke "You know, Jethro, we really need to stop communicating through outwear"

He just continued to stare at her. So she was going to make light of the situation. Jethro wasn't real happy about that. The Dear John letter she sent him hurt him far greater than he would ever admit too. When she looked up she saw the pain in his eyes and felt guilty.

She could read his mind so well and she knew now was the time to come clean so she began her story.

"I left because I was afraid" she began. "I joined NCIS to avenge my father. He was portrayed as a traitor who took his own life. My father dedicated himself to his country. He was everything to me"

Jethro listened in silence but he kept his eyes fixed on hers. She looked around the room as she told her story. Sometimes glancing up to the ceiling, sometimes at her feet, but she never looked straight at him.

She continued after a pause "When I meet you, you made the pain go away. You made me stop hurting." She paused again. "I needed to stay broken, Jethro. I need to finish what I started. I ran because I was in too deep" Finally she looked at him, "I want you to understand that you fixed me but I didn't want to be fixed. I wanted to stay broken"

He swallowed as he took it all in. He knew exactly what she meant. She had filled a large part of the void that haunted him since the death of Shannon and Kelly. No one else came close to filling that gap the way she did.

Finally, he found his voice. "and now?" he said softly.

Her eyes started to fill with tears and she tried to find the words. She said in a quiet whisper "I'm not Shannon, Jethro. And after a few fun months you will remember that, then you will move on like you always do and then I'll be broken all over again"

Jethro closed his eyes to gather his strength then he stood up and walked over to her. He positioned himself between her legs as she sat on his work bench. She was looking down into her lap, he slowly lifted her chin until she was looking into his eyes. Neither of them had shed a tear but both of their eyes were filled with water. He moved his lips to her injured ear and whispered "I don't want you to be Shannon, I am in love with you."

They sat silent for a while, both had their eyes closed and their heads pressed together. She took in his scent, it calmed her and excited her all at the same time. She brought her hands up to cradle his face and slowly kissed his lips. Her face was still sensitive because of the shots to her nose but she needed his touch. He gentle brought his hand to her hair and kissed her as deeply as he could without hurting her.

He broke the kiss and cradled her face as he spoke "I'm broken too. I'll always be broken, but you are the only woman who has tried not to fix me. We accept that we are two broken people and that's why we work."

She broke away and looked into his eyes "Do you think we can do this without killing each other?" she asked, a teasing twinkle in her eyes.

"God, no!" he answered "Blood will be shed for sure, but think of all he make-up sex!"

_The End_ –

a/n: I hope you all enjoyed this. I want to thank of all for reading this story. I don't usually have time to write but I have had some heavy stuff go down in my life recently and I found a way to escape through the world of fanfiction. I appreciate all of you that take time to read and write, I have enjoyed so many of your stories and I am trying to go back and review them to let you know I appreciate everyone's work. I hope to write more in the future because Jibbs makes me feel better! I am already thinking through a new Jibbs story (so far nothing on paper) but this will be a much lighter story. Stay tuned…

FYI: I am a huge fan of modern country music so that is where the titles of the chapters come from.


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